How to prevent your adolescent son from being interested in Drugs and Alcohol?

If your children are young, you may think, why do I need to read this article? Well, you are wrong and should be working on prevention since childhood. Since the age of 7, children start forging their character, personality and values system. And considering the absence of parents in the household, the loss of communication and the access to information on the internet you should be interested in educating yourself.

Have you begun to think how will you manage their adolescence regarding permits, late nights, new friends, girlfriends and parties?

REMEMBER THAT EACH CHILD HAS HIS OWN PERSONALITY. Each child is different from one other, some are shyer, others are very sociable and extroverted, some are more badly gendered, others very calm, but although their behavior and personality must be respected we must not allow them to go over the limit. Try to discuss their strengths and support them in improving their weaknesses. You are a guide for your child, not a judge. But before helping him out with his social-emotional learning you should introspect on how you manage your own emotions.

THE IMPORTANCE OF DEVELOPING CHARACTER IN YOUR CHILD.

Giving a child everything he asks, pleasing him in every wish or desire or the opposite, being very strict, punishing him allot are not advisable ways of educating your child. The secret is finding balance, finding that midpoint. Always aim to praise their good behavior and avoid criticism when they make mistakes; it causes a toxic self-image. Teach them from a young age to be collaborators, help wash the dishes on weekends when the employee is not there, store their clothes, do their homework, teach them to treat each other at home kindly, learn to solve problems. Both parents must establish clear limits and rules, this creates a safe and clear environment for everyone. The household must have clear rules, there must be an established ground map with objectives and responsibilities in order to be effective. This rules, behaviors and lessons forge strong character in children.

I DO NOT HAVE GOOD COMMUNICATION WITH MY ADOLESCENT SON.

If your child is between the ages of 13 and 17 and doesn’t have a good relationship with his parents and siblings, it´s probably cause of the communication methods in the household. As a parent if you shout at him, threaten, speak badly or criticize him, you are just forging a child that will behave in the same manner in the future. I urgently recommend you make a stop to all this behaviors and start to see how you make up for the emotional damage that has been made to the day. It is time to rebuild a new relationship based on respect one day at a time.

CAN I OFFER MY CHILD BEER OR WINE?

NO!, NEVER OFFER YOUR CHILD LIQUOR, NO SMALL QUANTITY OF LIQUOR IS ACCEPTABLE FOR A CHILD OR YOUNG. We have a misbelief about liquor and society has made it something habitual and part of every celebration. Culture is a huge influencer in the poor decisions parents make with their children regarding this issue. As parents you shouldn’t be lenient or permissive with alcohol since in an immature brain of an adolescent whatever stimulus you conceive may open the road to a lot of future problems. It is better to think about being a better role model for your child every day through positive actions, self-control and good behavior.

WHAT THE DOCTORS SAY ABOUT THIS:

Dr. Westley Clark, director of the Center for Quality and Behavioral Statistics of Health of the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Division, says:

“Statistics show that children who start drinking at a younger age have more problems later, we also know that, particularly men under the age of 21, they are still developing what we call executive function (which regulates how they make decisions and how they manage the risk), “he explained.

“At 21, the brain is just more mature and the ability to control impulses is much greater. The legal age is 21. The message to parents is to buy time and delay the appearance of any consumption.”

BAD EXAMPLE..

Beware of being a parent who gives a bad example to their children by having bad habits such as drinking liquor every weekend or worse lashing out on your children due to intoxication. Don´t believe cause your child is young he won’t notice when you are under the influence of alcohol. He knows you pretty well and alcohol changes your mood, stimulates your dark side and causes you to make non-assertive decisions. So as I mentioned before always opt to be a good example to your kids.

THE EFFECTS OF CIGARETTE AND ALCOCHOL ON THE BODY.

It is important to emphasize on the side effects and risks related to cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking in the human body when talking to your children about this drugs. By creating awareness of the potential damage that they can cause to their liver, pancreas, lungs, colon and others, allows them to make better decision about ingesting this stimulants. The more frequent that information is received related to the dangers related to substance abuse the more likely your children will avoid them. Document yourself, google the effects of this drugs with your child, watch videos on youtube about people who have suffered the effects and make them create a conscience about the risks behind those habits. Opt to establish good habits, such as sports and reading which may keep their minds busy and centered on important things. The school where they attend will probably have drug prevention programs in place but the responsibility of teaching them and conducting them through the right path depends on the family nucleus. By having healthy life values at home is the best way to develop a strong mindset.

The vices, often begin at young age due to little love from their parents, punishments, loneliness, abandonment and non-assertive communication. With access to the internet and so much information online, children seek to escape their realities by exploring the joy of the virtual world. But there are many threats online and bad influences that can have a negative impact on your children, from leading them to take drugs, or act violently or even develop bad habits. So as a parent, you should understand the potential threats and bad influences that your children will have access to if you don´t act and do something about it. Begin by having a caring and enriching dialogue with your children, where they feel supported and listened to. This way they will be more open, trust-worthy and willing to discuss their problems.